To celebrate the upcoming release of Forza Horizon 6, Playground Games has released the third episode of its The Art of Driving series, with car photographer and host Larry Chen this time traveling to Kanto alongside mural artist Inko Ai Takita. The vehicle of choice for this journey is one of the most iconic street racing cars to have come out of Japan – the Nissan Skyline.
“Kanto is different from anywhere else we visited,” says Chen in the video. “This is where tradition and modern life collide, where quiet mountain roads lead straight into one of the biggest cities on Earth. And it feels like the only place we could finish this journey.”
The journey starts off with Chen driving up to the train station in Hakone to meet Takita. When the artist brings up the fact that the Skyline is her father’s all-time favorite car, Chen brings up similar sentiments. “Well, he and I are alike, because this is my favorite car also,” he says.
On his decision to use a Skyline for this trip, Chen explains that “it wasn’t about how fast it was when it was brand new. It’s about the tunability. When people start tinkering and changing a couple of things, it’s very easy to make a lot of horsepower.”
The first episode of the series, released earlier this month, featured Satoshi “DRAGON76” Fujita as Chen’s partner for the journey to Tohoku. The trip involved a Toyota Land Cruiser as the two started off in the north.
“The first stop takes us north to Tohoku,” says Chen in the video. “Tohoku isn’t the first place most people think of when they imagine Japan. It’s colder, quieter, and a little more rugged.” Chen explained his choice of a Land Cruiser by saying, “For a journey through snow-covered mountain passes, there’s really only one choice.”
Episode 2 of The Art of Driving featured Kazuhisa Uragami, with the two traveling to Kyushu in a Honda Civic Type R. “Stop number two takes us south to Kyushu… Japan’s southern island,” said Chen in the introduction of the video. “A region shaped by active volcanoes, heavy industry, and a gateway for cultural exchange.”
“This is my first time driving the Honda Civic FL5. What you’re looking at is a K20C1. It’s a 2-litre inline-four turbo engine with VTEC. Out of this small engine, it makes 315 horsepower. The Type R moniker has never been about all-out speed. It’s about driving feel and fun. My favorite part about this is the fact that it’s a normal usable vehicle,” he explained.
Forza Horizon 6 is making its way to PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S on May 19th. Those who pick up the Premium Edition of the game can access it a few days earlier, on May 15th. Reports have indicated that pre-order numbers for the open-world racing game have been doing quite well, with 500,000 copies having been sold on Steam alone, according to one rumor.
For more on Forza Horizon 6, check out what its depiction of Tokyo looks like. Also, look at the new controller, headset, and charging dock themed around the title.
